Breeding bees at home is very profitable, useful, but very troublesome. Where to begin? First of all, to acquire a land plot, convenient for an apiary, located near a large number of honey plants. For a business to be profitable, it is imperative to adhere to all the rules of beekeeping. If the apiary is installed correctly, you can get a strong working family. It is very important to consider factors affecting the full development of the apiary.
Bee breeding at home: features
- The apiary is located in a calm place, there should be a large number of trees around it.
- The hive is recommended to be placed with a slope to the south side, this will allow the apiary to always be under the influence of sunlight.
- An apiary located in the garden, it is advisable to protect. To do this, use a fence or fence, the optimal height of which is 2 meters.
- The hive should be located as far from the road as possible. People and animals near the apiary should not constantly walk.
- An apiary should not be located in low and damp places, near plants. This can lead to serious bee diseases.
Hive placement
The distance between the hives in the apiary should be 4-6 m, and between the rows 5-6 m. But this is not always possible in personal plots, so the hives are placed more densely (under trees, buildings, along the fence, in stationary and mobile pavilions). With the onset of a stable cold, beehives with bees are transferred to a specially built winter house or to premises suitable for this: a dry barn, a temporary hut, a summer house, a basement with low humidity, etc.
Breeding
Bee breeding methods can be different. When choosing takes into account:
- wintering families;
- the possibility of honey collection;
- design and type of hives;
- pedigree characteristic of bees.
One of the methods of breeding bees is the use of layering. This is done as follows. In early spring, the uterus is removed from one hive and moved to another. The bees that remained in the first hive, not finding the uterus, begin to lay fistulous queen cells. After about 2 weeks, you can cut out the mature queen cells and move them to the layering. They consist of frames that are taken from other hives. On the 16th day, uterus appears from the mother cells.
Breeding bees for beginners is a rather difficult task, therefore it is recommended to choose the Half-Summer method. It consists in the following: one of the strongest bee colonies is selected and divided equally. Honeycombs with brood are set in different hives, which are placed at some distance from each other. The first half of the insects must be contained in one hive, and the second in the other.
If there is no uterus, you should take care of acquiring a new one. Better when the bees themselves grow it. Then after the flyby she will lay many eggs.
Breeding and keeping bees is largely dependent on climatic conditions. In some regions it may take 40 days to build a family, in others - about 100, on average, the building period lasts 70 days.
The beekeeper must make sure that the bees have enough food and pollen.
Bees: breeding and maintenance for beginners in the pavilions
Honey plants, as a rule, quickly fade, and bees cannot be left idle. They are transferred to another place. Breeding bees for beginners is not an easy task. To facilitate the work, they came up with a special pavilion with wheels where hives are placed. In order for the bees to have a free flight, it is necessary to provide for letki. The front wall of the pavilion is painted in different colors, so that each family is oriented exactly where their housing is.
A little space should be left in the pavilion so that the beekeeper can work. The glass wool construction is insulated, this gives the bee family the opportunity to persist and develop for a long time.
The costs for the pavilion will be the same as for the apiary itself. If you choose bee breeding for beginners as a business, then you will be faced with the question of profitability. So, the costs will be able to pay off in two years. Each pavilion can accommodate up to 30 families.
What you need to purchase
First, as a businessman, you need to make a list of what you will need to spend money on:
- To purchase hives.
- On thoroughbred bees.
- For special equipment, tools, suits.
If everything goes as it should, after the first honey collection the apiary will be able to fully pay off, since 30 families can give at least 1000 kg of honey, and it is an expensive product.
Breeding queen bees
As you know, the main aspiration of the beekeeper is to quickly breed bees in his amateur apiary.
Almost everyone who decided to do beekeeping asks the question: where do they need to start? Experienced beekeepers recommend starting with the breeding of queens, which will allow families to be strong and full. The uterus should be raised to increase the strength of the bees and in order to prevent them from dying in the winter. To start breeding uterus, adhere to the following rules:
- Prepare special cells, which will subsequently lay eggs.
- If necessary, when there is no nectar, use special top dressing.
Breeding uterus should only be with high-quality parents so that genetic qualities are transmitted to them. If you pay attention, you can see that each bee family brings its own amount of honey. This is due to the fact that each of them has its own breed.
Beekeepers are sure that a family that actively works on the main bribe and brings a lot of nectar survives in the winter. In this case, there is no need to specifically feed the uterus. Before breeding queens, you must first select the strongest bee colonies.
Hives
Breeding bees, as a rule, begins with the preparation of a hive for them. It is the main equipment of the apiary. There are two options. The first is to purchase a ready-made hive, the second is to make it on their own. Whichever option you choose, you need to study the types of hives and their designs in order to get the right one for your conditions.
Hives of different types differ primarily in the number of frames placed in them and the size of the latter. Even the hives are divided into single-walled and double-walled, with a detachable or inseparable bottom.
Bee breeding in multihull hives
A strong family is placed in two buildings. With the onset of spring, the uterus moves up, as it is warmer there. After brood filling and an increase in the hull family, they should be interchanged.
To families that have already wintered in one building, it is necessary to add other bees and one more building, in which there is a sufficient number of honeycombs with food.
Families who were in multihull hives in winter check and begin to replace wax frames. Further, after rearrangement of the buildings in places, a grating for separation is installed, which is mandatory in multihull hives. It allows you to distract the bees from swarming.
Experienced beekeepers have proved that the presence of bees in multihull hives can significantly increase the energy level, brood resulting in much more.
Bee breeding in winter and spring
In winter and spring, bees need careful care in order to grow strong families who can please you with a lot of wonderful nectar. Care during this period provides for constant monitoring of the temperature in Omshanik, hives, the state of brood, queens, bees and the amount of death. It is important that the insects in your home are comfortable and have enough food.
Rapid breeding of bees for an early spring bribe can only be with proper care.
Breeding bees in sunbeds
In the loungers, insect breeding is quite convenient and simple. The benefits of this bee keeping are as follows:
- convenient transportation;
- no need to constantly lift the case;
- the presence of a heat-intensive type of device;
- in addition to family in sunbeds, you can additionally breed a nucleus for bees;
- in the beds of the uterus have a higher egg production;
- the ability to breed a large number of strong families.
- anti-war measures are provided, there is a special diaphragm behind which layering is formed.
Breeding bees for beginners may seem like a very complicated process, but practice shows that the land, beehives, initial bee colonies and your efforts are enough for the prosperity of this business. Bee breeding and care you can trust your auxiliary worker, because the process itself mainly occurs without human intervention.
Breeding and keeping bees is a very profitable business because it has the ability to receive several types of income: from the sale of bees, propolis, honey, pollen, bee venom and wax.